Man not providing
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Dear
Brother in Islam,
Salaam
alaikum, i need guidance and help in the light of Islam.My question is...
I have been working since past 10 years and contributing towards house
expences....working has not been out of choice since needed to make own house
back in
Since
past 3 years now my husband is hardly contributing since he went to do his own
business suffered losses and huge loans but somehow has managed house rent with
my contribution..all other expences right from grocery to medical to school
fees loans im taking care..
My question is it my responsibility? as im tring to convince my husband to take
up a job as the house burden i cannot take anymore
Secondly my husband has asked me time till 5 months to continue to support him
financially (our expences are more than the salary i am earning) Am i eligible
for zakat? since my husband is Syed but i am pathan
Last question my bro-in-law is earning well and living independently his wife
is not here and my husband said that During the month of Ramadan his bro will
do IFTAR with us...(Al though it is Noble to Feed in Ramdaan...IT will be an
Additional burden for me.... what should i do will i commit a sin if i ask my
bro in law to contribute during ramdan?
Your support and guidance will help me be a good muslima and inshallah help me
in taking some major decisions.. for myself and my family.
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
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Answer:
Man not providing
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Your
Question: …My question is it my responsibility?
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah
Nisaa verse 34:
34
Men are the
protectors and maintainers of women because Allah has
given the one more than the other, and because they support them from their
means. Therefore the righteous
women are devoutly obedient and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah
would have them guard (their chastity, their husband’s honor, property,
etc.)
The complete financial responsibility of the upkeep and
maintenance of the house and the family is the responsibility and duty of the
men in Islam. It is the
responsibility and duty of the men in Islam to make sure that food is provided
to the womenfolk and family in their care, that clothing is provided for them,
that a place is provided for them to reside in, etc.
If the husband is temporarily jobless and unable to
provide for the family, and the wife, of her own free will and without any
coercion wishes to contribute towards the providing of the family, she is well
within her rights to do….and it would be a source of earning
‘ajr’ or rewards for her.
We reiterate again that the financial responsibility of
the upkeep of the family is the duty of the men and not the women in
Islam. Even if a woman in Islam is
a millionaire and happens to marry one who is a pauper, the financial
responsibility for the upkeep of the family remains upon the shoulders of the
man. The woman is well within her
rights to spend from her own wealth on the family, if indeed she wishes to do
so; but if she chooses not to do so, neither is there any sin upon her, nor
should she be forced or coerced to do so.
Your
Question: ….Secondly my husband has asked me time till 5 months to
continue to support him financially (our expences are more than the salary i am
earning) Am i eligible for zakat? since my husband is Syed but i am pathan
The Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade any member of his
family; ie. the ‘Banu Hashim’ from accepting any
‘zakah’. Thus it is not
the ‘syeds’ who are forbidden from accepting ‘zakah’,
but rather the ‘Banu Hashim’ or the family or descendants of the
Prophet (saws) who are specifically forbidden from accepting Zakah.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah
Taubah verse 60:
60 Alms are for the poor, and the needy, and those employed to
administer the (funds), for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled
(to the Truth), for those in bondage and in debt, in the Cause of Allah, and
for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah and Allah is full of Knowledge
and Wisdom.
Any who falls in the above listed eight categories are eligible
to receive Zakah funds:
- To
the poor
- To
the needy
- To
those who are employed to administer the zakah funds
- To
those whose hearts have recently been reconciled to the Truth of Islam
(new-muslims)
- For
those in bondage
- For
those in debt
- In
the Cause of Allah
- To
the way-farer or traveler
If your husband if temporarily jobless and facing
financial hardship, and your earnings are not enough to provide for even the
basic needs of the family, you and your family would fall under the above
listed category of ‘needy’…..and the ‘needy’ are
eligible to receive ‘zakah’ dues from the believers.
Your
Question: ….what should i do will i commit a sin if i ask my bro in law
to contribute during ramdan?
If you and your
family do not have enough to fulfill even your basic needs, there would be
absolutely no sin upon you if you or your husband were to ask your
brother-in-law or any amongst your other family members who are blessed with
abundance to contribute towards your needs. And if Allah Subhanah has indeed provided
them with abundance, they should strive their utmost to help you during your
trying times.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
"Charity for the poor is rewarded as one good deed; but in the case of a
(needy) relative it is considered as two: [one reward for helping] blood ties,
and [the other reward for] the charity [itself]."
Related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i, and at-Tirmidhi.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and
He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan